Say Anything
by VictoriaEsme
Summary: Co-written with Georgy-Girl. Zoe cheated on Max the night before their wedding. What happens almost four years later when a familiar face turns up at the ED?
1. Chapter 1

**This has been co-written by myself and Georgy-Girl. Enjoy x**

 **Chapter One:**

 _Zoe gave a delighted laugh as Matt showed her his party trick. The more she drank, and the more she laughed, the easier it seemed to be to forget Greta's words._

 _"So, how come an engaged lady such as yourself isn't wearing an engagement ring?" Matt asked with a smile._

 _Zoe glanced down at her left hand and was suddenly transported back to several days earlier when Max had slid a_ _gummy_ _ring onto her finger with a smile. Zoe had smiled too, because she felt a surge of love for the man who'd been in front of her. She couldn't wait to be married to him, to wake up to that smile every day._

 _When Zoe's eyes flickered back open, the smile of love still on her lips, she found Matt watching her with slightly parted lips. He seemed as though he was moving in slow motion as his face moved towards hers, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek._

 _'You can give them to my grand-daughter one day.'_

 _Greta's words suddenly came into Zoe's mind as though the woman was stood right next to her whispering them in her ear. To silence her, to shock her, to make this imaginary Greta go away, when Matt moved forward to kiss her, Zoe let him. She tangled her fingers in his hair, she sighed his name- Max._

 _The more she kissed him, the more she could hear Greta's voice in her head viciously sneering at every ounce of Zoe's personality and appearance. Matt responded by deepening the kiss. He then pulled away, quickly offering her a vodka shot and laughing as she almost missed her mouth then she tripped over her heels. Matt put his hands on her upper arms to steady her before leaning into her ear and asking 'shall we get a taxi back to yours?'_

* * *

Like any child her age, three year old Maisie Walker was obsessed with Frozen and when she'd woken up from a nightmare early that morning, she had insisted on watching it. In need of sleep and unable to say no to her, Max agreed to watch it with her until she fell asleep.

"Daddy, stay awake" Maisie giggled, prodding him in the side until he opened his eyes. "It's nearly the best bit" she informed him with a grin. Max groaned as 'Let It Go' began to play into the headphones, Maisie's soft voice quickly following.

"Next time you want to watch this in the middle of the night, you wake Mummy okay?" Max teased, pretending to cover his ears at the sound of Maisie's singing. The little girl giggled delightfully.

"Mummy never wakes up" Maisie pointed out, giggling at Olaf. Max grumbled, it was impossible to wake Zoe and now Maisie never even seemed to try. She tugged straight on Max's hand and insisted he come and cuddle up until she went back to sleep. Like the doting father he was, Max always agreed. Looking up from the film he noticed Maisie's eyes starting to grow heavy.

"Night Mais" he whispered softly, taking the iPad and headphones from her as she settled back down into her duvet, eyes already closed. Climbing from the bed, Max placed a gentle kiss on her head before adding 'I love you' and disappearing from the room.

* * *

By the time they reached Zoe's parking spot outside the hospital the next morning, everyone was grumpy. Maisie was still tired and had refused to get out of bed, then both refused to eat her breakfast or get dressed, and for the whole car ride she'd been crying. While the cries were now interspersed with hiccups and yawns, the noise was still breaking into her parent's every thought.

Max climbed from the car with relief, the noise stopping momentarily until Zoe opened the back door.

"Coffee or child?" Zoe asked, their usual morning conversation.

Max considered this, glancing down at their red faced daughter. "...Just a coffee?"

"Coffee, donut and a kiss?"

Max smiled at this. "Fine!" He bent down to enter the car once more, taking Maisie from her carseat before taking the offered bag from Zoe.

"I'll see you later, sweetheart." Zoe dropped a kiss to Maisie's head and the girl attempted to grip onto her. As she made her way into the ED, Zoe could hear the girl still calling to her. Just like her mother, Maisie did not deal well with life on little sleep.

Zoe dropped her things into her locked in the staffroom before making her way to the coffee queue. She was considering what they could do to help Maisie sleep through the night when a voice from behind her broke into her thoughts.

"Zoe?"

Zoe turned to look at the man for a brief moment, eyes flickering across his features as she struggled to place him. He was familiar and hazy all at once. She attempted a shy smile.

"Sorry, do I know you?" She heard herself ask, inwardly cursing herself for such an awful attempt at being polite.

"Matt" He stated, extending a hand. "I, uh" the man began taking a step towards Zoe and bridging the gap between them, suddenly lowering his voice. "We met on your hen night" he added, his voice no more than a whisper. As if in a film, Zoe's world seemed to stop dead as the pieces fell into place. Her hen night. The tequila. Vodka. Greta. Matt. Cheating on Max. The man grinned and Zoe instantly felt repulsed, the smell of coffee almost making her want to vomit now. Zoe remained silent.

"I've got a job upstairs" Matt continued "teaching and admin" he rambled, waiting for Zoe to fall out of her daze. When she didn't, Matt smiled softly. "I guess I'll see you around?" He offered. Giving a small wave Matt turned towards the lift, his new shoes squeaking on the floor of the ED. Zoe stood, as if in a trance, silently talking herself out of throwing up. A dramatic whining caused the consultant to look around. Her eyes fell upon Max who was now beside her, a hand on her arm, Maisie in his arms. The child cried loudly and Zoe instantly wished the ground would swallow her up.

"She won't go to the crèche without another kiss from mummy" Max informed her with a sigh, holding out the small girl to Zoe. When she didn't move, Max looked concerned. "You okay?" He asked gently, bouncing softly to lessen Maisie's sobs. Zoe finally lifted her eyes to Max's, and when he saw tears in them, Max frowned, reaching out his free hand to touch hers.

"Zoe?"

Maisie reached out for her too, gripping onto Zoe's name tag to try and pull her closer. Max put his hand up to make their daughter let go, but Zoe suddenly snapped into gear and took Maisie from his arms, holding her tightly as the girl snuggled into her mother.

"I'll take her to crèche."

Max watched her walk away with a frown as, over her mother's shoulder, Maisie blew him a kiss. Max blew one back and watched until they were out of sight. He knew well enough by now that the more you tried to get something out of Zoe, the less likely she was to tell him, so Max resigned himself to an uncomfortable shift.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for your lovely reviews. Here is chapter two!**

 **Chapter Two:**

While Zoe was physically present that shift, her mind kept zoning out. Max watched her silently from afar, trying not to get in her way unless she called for him. 4 hours into the shift, Zoe was stood in front of the patient whiteboard and Max needed to erase a name that was written on it, so he rested a hand to her hip, intending to reach past her. Instead, she elbowed him with such force he stumbled back a couple of steps.

"Don't touch me!" Zoe snapped, but when she spun around it wasn't Matt as she'd thought it was, but Max. He was staring at her, shocked, and so were several other colleagues.

Instantly forgetting the task at hand, Zoe dropped the whiteboard pen and hurried away, the tears once again threatening to spill. It was that same teary Zoe that Max found on the roof half an hour later, after giving her some time to cool down.

"Hey" Max offered softly from a few steps back, as not to startle her. Zoe quickly lifted a hand to wipe the tears before turning to him.

"I'm so sorry" she offered weakly, happy when he walked towards her and wrapped her in a comforting hug.

"Don't worry" he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on top of her head. "I think it's just a bruised ego more than anything else" he joked and Zoe managed a wry smile. "Want to talk about it?" The porter offers. He feels Zoe snuggle her head further into his chest before an honest but muffled 'no' escapes her lips. Dropping another kiss to the top of her head he replied with a simple 'okay' before they fall into a comfortable silence.

"I think Maisie's bad mood is spreading" Max laughed after quite some time. Zoe lifted her head from his chest with a smile.

"I hope she's okay" Zoe replied gently. Max nodded.

"She'll be fine" he replies, hoping his sentiments about Maisie right. "I don't think I'll ever recover from having to watch Frozen at 2am though" he adds with a laugh. Zoe rolls her eyes.

"You love it" she points out. "I've heard you singing that snowman song in the shower" Max scoffed. "I'll get up with her tonight if she wakes" Zoe offered.

"As if" he laughed, causing Zoe to smile. "You ready to go back to work?"

"Mmm" she mumbled softly, catching Max's hand as he led her off the roof and back towards the ED.

"Why don't we go out for dinner tonight? We can go to that pancake place Maisie went to with Robyn a few weeks ago. I might even treat you to a glass of wine if you're lucky."

Zoe smiled but gave no reply, resting her forehead on Max's shoulder as they waited for the lift. When it arrived, she was relieved to see it was empty and followed Max in. The lower into the building it descended, the more Zoe's anxiety rose again, but she smiled when it finally reached the ED and Max dropped a kiss to her nose before returning to work.

* * *

"Dr Hanna." Zoe mumbled, her eyes focused on the patient file in front of her.

"Hi Dr Hanna, it's Simone. From the crèche."

Zoe reached out to grab the back of Max's shirt as he walked past. Since meeting her on the roof an hour ago, he'd stayed close by, offering her reassuring smiles whenever she glanced at him. "Is Maisie okay?"

"She's fine. She's not sick or anything, but she's refusing to go down for her nap until you come down. She says there's something she needs to tell you."

Zoe let out a sigh of relief and let go of Max. "I'll come down now."

"What's happened?" Max asked, adjusting Zoe's stethoscope as she hung up.

"She-" Zoe began, but the words dried on her lips when she spotted Matt. He was talking to Connie.

"Zoe?" Max asked, trying to follow her gaze.

"You go" Zoe suddenly announced, causing Max's eyebrows to furrow.

"You said you'd go"

"Please Max. Maisie won't settle, she just wants a cuddle before her nap and then you can come back" Zoe was already leading Max towards the crèche, as far away from Matt as she could. Max shrugged his shoulders before dropping a kiss to Zoe's head and exiting the ED, heading into the main hospital.

Zoe tried to get to her office without being seen by Matt, her heart pounding against her chest as she wondered what they were talking about. It didn't even bare thinking about. The consultant was just about to turn the corner to her office when she heard Connie's name call her back. She swore inwardly before turning towards her boss, a fake smile on her lips.

"Mrs Beauchamp" She greeted pleasantly.

"Walk with me" Connie replied, beckoning Zoe with her as she often did. Zoe obliged and found herself walking back towards the main entrance.

"I've been talking to one of the new members of staff from upstairs" Zoe's stomach flipped and she felt the nausea rising in her throat. "He's keen to put on some extra training sessions for our porters. He wants them to be able to handle some of the more difficult situations they may find themselves in" Zoe held her breath. "I was just wondering if Max would be interested?"

"I, uh" Zoe stuttered, letting out a shaking breath. She was playing a dangerous game. "Who would be running the sessions?" Zoe managed to ask, immediately dreading the reply.

"I don't know. I'll get some more details and get back to you. How about we put Max's name down provisionally?" For some reason, Zoe nodded despite the fact that she really didn't want to agree to this at all. The thought of Matt and Max being in the same room was enough to make her feel sick. Even having them in the same hospital was worrying enough. Luckily, Zoe was saved from further conversation by Max rounding the corner, Maisie in his arms.

"She wants you" he announced, unceremoniously placing the child in her arms. Maisie instantly snuggled into her mother's embrace. "Sorry Mrs Beauchamp" he added.

"No, no it's fine" Connie replied with a smile. "Both of you take some time to sort her out". Both Zoe and Max smiled gratefully before taking Maisie into the office.

* * *

An hour later, Zoe was pacing the limited floor space in her office with a sobbing Maisie in her arms. Frustrated and exhausted Zoe too soon found herself in tears which only proved to make Maisie cry harder. Settling onto the sofa Zoe cradles the little girl in her lap, using her free hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"What's wrong Maisie?" Zoe tried, asking the same question she seemed to have been asking for hours. The little girl remained silent despite the odd sniffle. "Come on Mais" she whispered, begging the girl to stop crying. Settling down on the sofa Zoe rocked the little girl in her arms, calming herself with the perpetual motion. The three year old seemed to calm down at this and begin to settle down. Cuddling into her mother's arms Maisie lets her mummy place several kisses on her forehead, letting her eyes grow heavily as Zoe begins to softly sing.

Within twenty minutes Maisie was asleep with Zoe not long behind her. Zoe slept fitfully, waking often with Maisie struggling to sleep peacefully in her arms.

"Mummy" Maisie scolded, as she woke them up for the third time.

"Sorry Mais" Zoe mumbled, barely opening her eyes as sleep threatened to wash over her again. Zoe attempted to put the child down, letting her sleep in her own corner of the sofa but Maisie quickly climbed back into her mother's arms and settled down. Placing her thumb in her mouth the little girl tried to fall asleep once again wondering why her mother kept awaking with a start.

This was exactly how Max found them nearly an hour later. Lifting Maisie from her arms without waking her, Max settles his daughter before bending down and placing a kiss on Zoe's cheek.

"Zoe, you need to wake up" he tells her softly. "Zoe" he repeats, louder this time. Zoe's eyes flicker open at the sound of his voice. "I'm going to take Maisie back to the crèche and you need to go back to work" he tells her. Zoe nods, stretching as she came to. "Okay?" Max asks to which Zoe nods. "I won't be a minute" He adds, gesturing to Maisie who continued to sleep peacefully before giving Zoe one last smile and walking back towards the main hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

Maisie was pleased to see her mummy waiting for her at the entrance to the crèche and even more delighted when Zoe asked if she'd like pancakes for tea. Agreeing almost instantly the little girl practically skipped to the car and sang all the way until town until they reached the restaurant.

"Come and sit down princess" Max called to the girl who was dancing around the restaurant. Picking her up Max placed her in the chair next to him and pushed her in.

"No Daddy" Maisie shouted adamantly, pushing on the table in order to wriggle out of her chair. "I want to sit with Mummy" she replied simply, lowering herself to the floor before walking over to her mother and scrambling onto her lap. The sudden weight on her legs caused Zoe to snap out of her daydream.

"Do you want chocolate pancakes Mais?" Zoe asked, leaning down to place a kiss on her daughter's head. Maisie nodded eagerly.

"And strawberries" she requested to which Zoe laughed.

"We're feeling a bit demanding today aren't we?" Max teased causing Maisie to giggle in delight, nodding her head.

"What are you getting on your pancakes mummy?" Maisie asked, titling her head back to look at Zoe. Zoe placed a kiss on her nose causing the girl to laugh.

"Mummy isn't very hungry" Zoe replied honestly. She was still feeling sick as the guilt and worry began to eat away at her. She tried to avoid Max's gaze but she felt a hand on her leg and was forced to look at him. Max looked at her with concerned eyes but she gently shook her head, forcing a weak smile.

"You can share mine" Max offered softly, winking at her in order to make her smile.

"You can't share mine" Maisie giggled causing her parents to laugh as she happily kicked her legs and began playing with the crayons that had been left on the table for her.

Zoe struggled to focus on the meal or Max's conversation, so soon they all sat in silence. She didn't even notice when Max got up to pay the bill until suddenly he was drawing Maisie from her arms to put her coat on.

"Come on." Max reached out a hand to zoe, a squirming Maisie in his arms. Zoe surprised them both when she gave them a sudden, fierce hug.

"I love you."

Max gave a hesitant smile, for he was really worried about his wife now. "Come on, let's get this one home to bed."

At home, Maisie had requested that Zoe bath her and was now curled on her mother's lap again, wrapped in a large towel. Zoe was silently glad that the girl seemed clingy tonight, because it would save her from the question she knew Max would ask.

That night when Maisie woke she walked into her parent's room and instantly headed towards her mother, tugging gently at her hand which had slipped from under the warmth of the duvet. Zoe woke with little fuss, for she had been unable to sleep anyway, and swept Maisie into her arms without as much as a sound.

"Let's go back to bed little girl" Zoe whispered, carrying the three year old back into her bedroom.

"Can we watch a movie?"

"No princess, you need to go back to sleep" Zoe told her softly, settling her daughter back into the duvet. Sitting beside her Zoe smoothed Maisie's hair until the girl's eyes began to grow tired.

"Will you stay with me tonight Mummy?" A sweet voice managed to whisper before sleep washed over her. Zoe only managed to whisper 'just for tonight' for soft snores began to fall from Maisie's lips.

An exhausting few days followed. Max had a few days off and kept Maisie at home with him whilst Zoe went to work. Whilst Zoe could relax a little knowing Max wouldn't bump into Matt she still worked hard to avoid him herself luckily with success. She'd then return home to a clingy and unusually ill-tempered little girl who demanded almost every minute of her time. As if like clockwork, Maisie had developed a habit of waking a little after 2 and refusing to settle until she was in Zoe's arms, despite how hard Max tried to lessen her burden.

On Thursday they were both back at work. Maisie had agreed to let Max take her to the crèche as long as Zoe settled her before nap time. Zoe made a beeline for her office when she arrived, ignoring the fact she'd promised Max a coffee.

She was stood at the filing cabinet, her back to the door when a hand on her arm made her jump.

"Max, you made me jump" she cursed, turning with a smile. Seeing Matt stood behind her, she inwardly swore as her heart fell to the pit of her stomach.

"Zoe-" he began. Zoe took a step back, holding a hand up.

"No" she managed to whisper, her voice shaky. "No" she repeated, louder this time. "You can't be here and you can't be near me"

"Zoe -" Matt repeated but she just shook her head.

"Get out"

"I just wanted to-"

"Go!" Zoe managed a little louder, her back pressed to the filing cabinet.

"Ok, ok. Sorry."

As he turned to walk from the room, Max appeared in the doorway with a smile that faded when he saw the look on Zoe's face and the tension between them both. "Everything okay?"

"Matt was just telling me about some training sessions he's organising for porters. Connie has put your name down, I hope you don't mind. I forgot to ask you." Zoe inwardly congratulated herself on sounding calm, but the look on Max's face instantly told her he didn't believe it.

"Yeah, my boss mentioned it. Any idea when?"

Matt glanced at Zoe before shaking his head. "Not yet. I was just making sure you'd be able to get paid for doing it."

"Paid training? I'll definitely be in that." Max gave a smile but Zoe noticed it didn't reach his eyes. For a moment she panicked that he knew. He knew who Matt was and what they'd done. Then she told herself not to be silly. There was no way he could know.

After Matt slipped from the room, Max's eyes fell once more to his wife. "Zoe-"

"How was Maisie?" Zoe asked suddenly, running a hand under her eyes even though no tears had fallen. Max fell silent for a moment trying to judge her mood but decided to go along with it when he realised that he didn't want to upset her further.

"Worried actually" Max responded honestly, his thoughts flicking back to the conversation they'd had about Zoe as he'd helped his daughter hang her back pack on her peg at the crèche. "She said you were sad and she didn't like it". Zoe panicked, her heart sinking into her stomach.

"I hope you told her she was being silly" Zoe replied breezily, attempting to force a smile. Max stood awkwardly.

"I didn't really know what to say. I mean, if our three year old is picking up on it then I don't know why you think I'm too stupid to have noticed Zo" Max replied harshly, instantly regretting his words. "I'm sorry" he quickly added, watching Zoe blink away the tears. "I'm just worried about you Zo. Mais is too"

"I'm fine." Zoe managed, but now Max had finally acknowledged it, she knew she would have to tell him eventually, and then he'd be lost to her. The perfect family she had would be ruined, and it would be her fault.

"You're not, Zoe. Let me in." Max begged softly. Zoe shook her head, tears finally beginning to spill. When Max stepped forward and drew Zoe into his arms, she cried quietly into his shirt. All Max could do was rub her back gently, a frown on his face, for he didn't know what to do.

"I love you, Zoe." He whispered into her ear. All he received in return was a sob.


End file.
